Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Monday 9 August 1999

Scottish Executive

Devolution

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what are the most up-to-date plans for enabling the Executive to use Dover House as the flagship location to further Scottish interests in Whitehall and which rooms have been allocated for use by Scotland’s First Minister and other Ministers.

Donald Dewar: Dover House is the principal office building of the Secretary of State for Scotland and his Department, the Scotland Office. The Scotland Office provides space in Dover House for Ministers and officials of the Scottish Executive who have business in London.

Highlands and Islands

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial provisions have been agreed with Highlands and Islands Enterprise to provide future support to the proposed Cairn Gorm funicular railway in the event that it attracts insufficient visitors to be profitable.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: No financial provisions have been agreed with Highlands and Islands Enterprise to provide future support to the proposed Cairngorm Funicular Railway. The Secretary of State gave approval to Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s proposal to support the Cairngorm Funicular Railway project in 1997, subject to three conditions. One of these conditions was that there should be no further financial contribution to the project from the Secretary of State (ie the Scottish Executive, after devolution), whether through HIE or otherwise.

Highlands and Islands

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial or other provisions have been made by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to find an alternative operator, to become the operator itself or to dismantle the development should the proposed funicular railway on Cairn Gorm attract insufficient visitors to be viable and the Cairngorm Chairlift Company cease trading.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask the Chairman of that organisation to write to Mr Rumbles.

Housing

Mike Watson (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in establishing the Task Force to review homelessness in Scotland which was announced on 17 June.

Jackie Baillie: I am very pleased to be able to announce that the first meeting of the Task Force will take place on 25 August. Its remit will be:

  "To review the causes and nature of homelessness in Scotland; to examine current practice in dealing with cases of homelessness; and to make recommendations on how homelessness in Scotland can best be prevented and, where it does occur, tackled effectively."

  As Chair of the Task Force I look forward to working with the following people, all of whom have agreed to serve on the Task Force:

  Councillor Rita Miller, Convener of Community Services, South Ayrshire Council

  Mr Mark Turley, Director of Housing Edinburgh City Council

  Councillor Robert Aldridge, Director, Scottish Council for Single Homeless

  Ms Liz Nicolson, Director, Shelter Scotland

  Ms Margaret Taylor, Director, Glasgow Council for Single Homeless

  Mr Mel Young, Director, The Big Issue in Scotland

  Mr David Orr, Director, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations

  Ms Pat Bagot, Policy and Practice Manager, Scottish Homes

  Ms Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Department of Urban Studies, Glasgow University

  Mr David Belfall, Head of Group, Development Department, Scottish Executive

Local Government

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions about allowing local authorities in Scotland to sell memorials directly to the public at local authority run cemeteries.

Mr Frank McAveety: There have been no discussions with local authorities in Scotland on this matter.

Marine Protection

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering designating the sea around Fair Isle as a Marine Special Protection Area, or creating a statutory exclusion zone round the island into which vessels carrying hazardous cargoes may not sail.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has not yet received advice from its statutory nature conservation advisers on the identification of areas appropriate for classification as marine Special Protection Areas under the EC Wild Birds Directive 79/409/EEC. Maritime safety and related issues are reserved functions. The Scottish Executive is aware that guidance by the International Maritime Organisation sets out recommended routes in the Fair Isle Channel for ships carrying hazardous cargo. I understand that the UK Government keeps these matters under constant review, and that they are analysing the UK coastline with a view to consulting in due course about marine environmental high risk areas to help inform policy on protective measures such as routeing systems for ships.

Planning

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date Planning Application 98/01178/COU, approved by South Ayrshire Council, was received by the Scottish Executive for its approval.

Sarah Boyack: This planning application was notified to the Scottish Ministers by South Ayrshire Council on Tuesday 26 July.

Policy Reviews

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of all current policy reviews, green and white papers and consultation exercises which (a) have been initiated by it; (b) are being taken forward by it, having been initiated by HM Government and (c) are being undertaken by HM Government on issues affecting devolved matters, and whether it will do so in terms of (i) commencement date; (ii) remit; (iii) responsible body and Minister, and (iv) expected publication date.

Mr Jack McConnell: This information is not held centrally.

Rural Affairs

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the amount of public money in each of the past ten financial years which has been paid to Rural Forum Scotland.

Ross Finnie: The table provides details of the available information on payments made by The Scottish Office to Rural Forum since 1992-93. In some cases Rural Forum will have sub-contracted work to other organisations. Further information about other public sector support to Rural Forum may be obtained from Companies House, Edinburgh.

  

Financial Year 
Core Funding
(£)


Projects
(£)




1992-93 
14,000 

 


1993-94 
13,000 

 


1994-95 
16,000 

30,000 



1995-96 
16,000 

30,000 



1996-97 
16,000 

30,000 



 
67,500 



 
17,500 



1997-98 
16,000 

25,000 



 
65,000 



 
20,000 



 
5,350 



 
9,000 



 
4,000 



 
13,734 



1998-99 
12,000 

20,000 



 
63,000 



 
20,000 



 
22,899 



 
16,215 



 
11,000 



 
19,200 



 
61,111 



 
26,905 



1999-2000 
18,750 

5,000 



 
22,450 



 
2,169

Rural Affairs

Mr Nick Johnston (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will initiate measures to promote any economic benefits of fox-hunting to rural Scotland in the light of the proposed ban of fox-hunting in England and Wales.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have no plans to do so.

Special Advisers

Dr Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what parliamentary services will be provided by the special advisers employed by the Executive and to whom will the services be provided.

Donald Dewar: Special Advisers are appointed to provide the Executive with specialist and political advice and assistance complementing that of the civil service rather than parliamentary services, which are essentially a matter for the research assistants and the staff of the Parliament.

Transport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the estimated cost of upgrading the A77 to dual carriageway status from the Whitletts roundabout in Ayr to Stranraer.

Sarah Boyack: No estimate has been made of the cost of upgrading the A77 to dual carriageway status between Whitletts roundabout and Stranraer. A Route Action Plan (RAP) study recently undertaken on this section of the route recommended several individual schemes together with road safety improvement measures to bring the whole route up to a consistent standard.